I started this post to reflect on things coming full circle, with Mollie, who just finished up her freshman year at UCSD, starting to blog about her cancer experience as a cancer survivor. The crazy thing is... my very first post on this blog was exactly 15 years ago today! This was totally unplanned.
Things have changed a lot in 15 years and while the initial shock and fear of dealing with pediatric cancer have long since faded, the traces and impressions still show up as reminders in the ebb and flow of daily life.
Mollie is living life to the fullest- though her high school experience was interrupted by COVID-19, she got involved, stayed active, and found her people. Her freshman year at UCSD flew by (at least for us) and we poked and prodded her to apply for some scholarships. And much to our pleasure, she was awarded the LLS Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors!
She can say her feelings about all of this much better than I can, so I'll refer you to her LLS bio and her blog.
https://www.lls.org/story/mollie
https://iloveyou-frommollie.blogspot.com/
Happy Summer Solstice!
A side note about the side bar quote: Lance Armstrong sure had a fall from grace, but I can't bring myself to remove that quote. I like it. It takes that kind of positive attitude and resilience to beat cancer at any age. The Livestrong Foundation continues to help people with cancer, though the positive impact doesn't justify or counteract his unethical behavior as an athlete. That Armstrong is still actively participating in society, even after his personal failings came to light in the most public of ways, is a demonstration of resilience.
